Liverpool to fight Everton and Manchester City for Burnley defender Michael Keane

Liverpool are considering making a summer move for Burnley defender Michael Keane – but will face strong competition from Merseyside rivals Everton, Manchester City and Premier League champions Leicester City.

Jurgen Klopp is eager to bolster his central defensive options in the summer and has been impressed by the performances of Keane in recent months, though the Daily Mail claims that Everton, who are set to be heavily backed in the summer by majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri, are the favourites to bag the future England international. The player was included in Gareth Southgate's squad for the upcoming internationals against Germany and Lithuania.

Keane has been an ever-present in the heart of Burnley's defence this season and has been crucial to Sean Dyche's men's fortunes. The 24-year-old has helped the Clarets keep seven clean sheets so far this season and his form at Turf Moor has not gone unnoticed.

Everton have been heavily linked with a move for Keane in recent months and are prepared to pay around £20m (€23m) in order to land their defensive target. Ronald Koeman is keen to strengthen his defensive ranks with doubts surrounding the future of captain Phil Jagielka and the reliability of Ramiro Funes Mori, but the former Southampton boss will be wary of overtures from Liverpool.

Jurgen Klopp is aware that he needs to significantly bolster his Liverpool squad in the summer months in order to prevent another mid-season collapse like the one suffered this campaign.

While Everton are perceived to be the front-runners at this stage, the Reds may be able to offer the prospect of Champions League football depending on how they fare between now and the end of the season.

Keane may well end up signing for Liverpool, Everton, Leicester City or Manchester City this summer but his immediate focus lies on international duty. The former Manchester United youth graduate has not yet been capped by England and will be hoping Gareth Southgate will award him some game-time as the Three Lions attempt to edge closer to World Cup qualification against Lithuania and get one over on old rivals Germany.